Jessica looked back and forth at both Cruz and the fumes in the sky. She was obviously stunned and speechless at the same time because this was the last thing she'd ever imagined. Not to make Cruz feel embarrassed, she bent down, holding his hands. "Cruz, are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? It's barely been three months! What are you doing?" Jessica asked worriedly. "I understand but I already made up my mind. I know what I want and that's you. I know for sure that there's no other woman who is going to have a place in my heart as you do. Jessica, procrastination is for those who don't know what they want, but that's not the case with me. Dating for 3 months was for you to make up your mind, my mind was already made up the moment I took you to Palm Springs." He confessed, his eyes filled with so much love and sincerity. Jessica knew there was no way to convince him to change his mind about the proposal. She also knew the only thing stopping them from taking a step further in t
"A Date? What date?" Jessica asked cluelessly. "Our wedding date of course! We already got engaged. I've proposed and you've accepted so I believe that's the next step." Cruz explained. Jessica was so surprised that she spat the food in her mouth. "Wedding date? Are you for real?" She asked curiously. "Isn't that supposed to be the next thing after a proposal?" Cruz wondered, confused by how surprised Jessica was. "Well…it's indeed the next step, but I…I mean…isn't it too early to start talking about dates? I mean it's barely 24 hours." She stuttered, fully aware that her excuses weren't genuine enough. It's not like she wanted to make excuses, it's just that she didn't know how to respond to the situation at hand. "Jessica, you're freaking out right now. You have to calm down." Cruz suggested and Jess let out a sigh of relief. "Am I being weird right now?" She asked, directing her question to Cade who nodded in affirmation. "Uhmm…I'm sorry for acting this way but all this is
Jessica was shocked and devastated by the news. Even though she knew it was impossible for these pictures to be totally removed from the website, she thought she'd at least be able to avoid being tormented by it but her biggest fear and insecurities were brought back again. The post was getting a lot of attention from users who never wished their relationship well. She wondered what kind of person man or woman would harbor so much hatred for them to think of bringing back pictures that had totally been forgotten by everyone. She remembered how much she suffered mentally when these pictures first surfaced and couldn't imagine having to go through the pain again. What was more haunting was the fact that she was now crazily in love with the main source of these pictures and didn't have anyone to put the blame on. She was still trying to comprehend the situation when someone tapped on her desk, drawing her attention to them. It was no other than the teacher who insulted the previous
"What?" Cruz exclaimed in disbelief. "Why do you look so surprised? Are you having cold feet now?" Jessica asked, acting as if her unexpected announcement wasn't something surprising. "Of course not!" Cruz defended. "I'm just worried about you. I remember how tense you were when I first popped the question. You wanted some time. Why all of a sudden? I hope you aren't doing this because of the pressure of the article?" Cruz wondered, worried Jessica might take a decision due to the pressure of the media like Dave had suggested. He feared she might have overheard their conversation which was why he was more worried. "All of a sudden? Do you seriously think I'm doing this because of the pressure? I couldn't stop thinking about that question ever since you asked and when I finally decided on a date you think it is because of the media? Were you playing me for a fool when you asked me to pick a date or are you one of those people indirectly making fun of me?" She asked angrily, tryin
A WEEK BEFORE THE WEDDING….Jessica was still at her family house making preparations for her wedding. It's been a long time since she last stayed with so many family members and even though there was so much drama from time to time, she enjoyed the company. Cruz, on the other hand, went back to LA because of work but they kept in touch and Cruz also came to check on her during the weekend. Cruz's parents were the most excited about this wedding. They never thought he could ever fall in love but he did so much to the extent that he proposed marriage and is finally going to get married. Cruz was a hopeless romantic and it took them a long time to figure that out. The articles about her were long gone and almost forgotten again but she couldn't wait for her big day to finally make them forget it for good. While Jessica was resting in her room, Cruz face-timed her as he usually does. They talked about how much they missed each other. "Why don't you come over to LA tomorrow?" Cruz s
"What? Peru? Why?" Jessica asked haphazardly. "I know you don't watch the news but there was a terrorist attack at the army barracks…" "So? Are you a soldier? What does that have to do with you?" She interrupted, panicking. "Jess, can you keep quiet, calm down, and let me explain?" Cruz pleaded and waited to hear Jessica's response. In the absence of none, Cruz continued. "One of the Five-star generals in the special force got a bullet shot to the head. The bullet is stuck in his brain stem. The location is very dangerous and very few surgeons around the world have had any success with similar operations because of the risk. Fortunately, I'm one of the lucky few and I'm going to be leading the operation with a few other specialists." He explained and then paused to stare back at Jessica who was shooting daggers at him. "Are you not going to say anything?" Cruz asked worriedly as Jessica's silence was becoming disturbing. "You just told me to keep shut and let you explain. So g
"Hmm…you both are getting married tomorrow yet you don't know where your groom is?" Valeria asked in disbelief but Jessica was also in disbelief so she couldn't bring herself to answer that question. "Wow! Happy married life!" She scoffed before walking out on them.Jessica was finding it hard to understand what was going on. She was so confused that she took off her mask and cap to breathe in fresh air, forgetting she was undercover. She was panicking and Dave didn't know how to comfort her. "Jessica… hmm, I think we should head home for now. I will try to contact him once we get there." He suggested."Cruz can't possibly be playing a prank on me, right? What makes him think this is a good joke?" She trembled. Even though she tried to conceal it, Dave could hear her panicking."Jessica, It's my duty to take care of you. It's getting too late now and your family has been calling me since you aren't answering your calls. You know Cruz owns the city. He could be anywhere right now…"
ABOUT A WEEK LATER…No one knew the way about of Jessica and nothing was heard from Cruz for days but the internet was still buzzing with the news of their failed wedding. News broke out about Cruz's first engagement to Triana and it began to trend. In the end, only the women were blamed because they believed Cruz had already made himself clear enough that he would never be married. No one thought Cruz could be in trouble because throughout these days, he was online and even though he was replying, he posted a picture of himself treating an injured soldier which sparked more reaction online. The picture was dated back to two days after he left LA and therefore doesn't explain where he went to after having left Peru. Cruz's parents who were still staying at his house in Beverly Hills took it upon themselves to contact all the families they'd invited to apologize for the time wasted. They were embarrassed by the failed wedding but it was nothing compared to what Jessica felt. Cade